The deal is to run for 14 years from this month, managed by Enterprise MRS, the company formerly known as MRS Environmental Services before it was acquired by Enterprise in September 2004.
” The benefits to the people of Wolverhampton will be an efficient kerbside collection service which will achieve high levels of recycling. “
– Cllr Andrew Johnson, Wolverhampton CC
Wolverhampton city council explained that the contract would include collection and disposal services, with Enterprise tasked to reach a recycling rate of 38% while maintaining the operation of the city incinerator.
Under a new fixed-price arrangement, 125 city council waste and recycling staff will remain under the employment of the council, but will be seconded to Enterprise.
Cllr Andrew Johnson, Wolverhampton's cabinet member environmental services, explained: “Our refuse and recycling workforce will remain employed by the council, but will benefit from management expertise and involvement from Enterprise.
“The benefits to the people of Wolverhampton will be an efficient kerbside collection service which will achieve high levels of recycling and which will be helping to keep to an absolute minimum the amount of waste going to landfill,” Cllr Johnson said.
Enterprise
With payments capped, the contract includes a profit sharing system for the council and its new contractor.
Owen McLaughlin, chairman and chief executive of Enterprise plc, said: “After maximising the recycling rates from the current kerbside collection methods, we want to improve the collection service to make it even easier for residents and so further increase recycling rates.”
Mr McLaughlin said the decision to keep workers employed by the council under secondment to Enterprise would give the staff more job security.
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“We believe that people are the key to any service and welcome the opportunity to work with Wolverhampton city council to further invest and support these key colleagues,” he said.
Wolverhampton achieved a recycling of just over 15% for household waste collected during 2004/05.
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